The win total remains stuck at one, but the effort is on the upswing for the Patagonia High baseball team.
The Lobos put together a solid defensive showing and got strong pitching from D.J. Castro and Kannon Shore, but a lack of timely hitting led to a hard-fought 5-3 loss to unbeaten Valley Union on March 12. The setback left them with a 1-4 record as they took a week off for spring break.
Patagonia held 2-1 and 3-2 leads before Valley Union rallied for two runs in the fifth inning and one in the sixth. The Lobos scored twice in the second inning when Noah Gallardo doubled home Miguel Albarran and later scored on a wild pitch. After Valley Union tied it up, Johnny Fields scored to put them back ahead in the bottom of the fourth. The Lobos put multiple runners on base in the final three innings, including a double by Albarran, but were unable to bring any of them home.
The five runs allowed by Castro and Shore were the fewest allowed by the Lobos this season. The defense was also improved over their previous two games—an 8-0 loss at Fort Thomas and a 16-5 loss at Baboquivari.
Coach Ryan Shore said he’s pleased with the team’s effort, if not the win-loss record. “We had a little regression in the fundamentals, but we got back on track against VU,” he said.
The big challenge at the plate is cutting down on the strikeouts: “We need to make more contact and put pressure on the opposition to make a play,” he said.
Patagonia returns to action on Tuesday, March 25, with a home game against Hayden.